40 parts Complete MatureThe heavy door clicked shut, the sound echoing in the sudden silence of the grand room. North was gone.
Johan stood frozen, the harsh words still ringing in his ears, a cruel symphony of rejection. "I never wanted this marriage... I will never love you... My heart belongs to someone else... to me, you're nothing." Each phrase was a fresh stab, twisting in the wound of his already aching heart.
He'd known, deep down. He'd seen the way North's eyes never quite met his, the subtle flinches, the distant politeness that felt colder than outright hostility. But to hear it articulated so starkly, so brutally, stripped away any lingering illusions. This wasn't a misunderstanding or a temporary dislike. This was an absolute, unequivocal declaration of no love, no future, no hope.
The lavish room, meant to be a symbol of their new life, now felt like a gilded cage. Every opulent detail, from the heavy drapes to the intricate carvings on the mantelpiece, seemed to mock his one-sided devotion. He was a husband in name, but in North's eyes, he was less than a stranger-a nothing